Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Former first lady Michelle Obama and Conan O'Brien, enjoy a moment during her Milwaukee book tour, "Becoming: A Conversation with Michelle Obama" at the Miller High Life Theatre. Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal

A photograph is shown from former first lady Michelle Obama's surprise visit at Milwaukee Collegiate Academy earlier Thursday during her Milwaukee book tour, "Becoming: A Conversation with Michelle Obama" at the Miller High Life Theatre. Comedian Conan O'Brien was the moderator for the event. Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal

Former first lady Michelle Obama and Conan O'Brien talk during her Milwaukee book tour, "Becoming: A Conversation with Michelle Obama" at the Miller High Life Theatre. Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal

A family photograph of former first lady Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson as children is shown during her Milwaukee book tour, "Becoming: A Conversation with Michelle Obama" at the Miller High Life Theatre. Conan O'Brien was the moderator for event. Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal

A Milwaukee high school junior listens as former first lady Michelle Obama talks about her own experiences applying to and getting accepted at Princeton University. Obama, in town to promote her best-selling memoir, "Becoming," made a surprise visit to Milwaukee Collegiate Academy at 4030 N. 29th St., to talk to high school juniors from several schools about their college aspirations. Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Former first lady Michelle Obama talks about the various criteria universities consider in admitting students during a roundtable discussion with high school juniors at Milwaukee Collegiate Academy in Milwaukee on Thursday. Obama, in town to promote her best-selling memoir, "Becoming," made a surprise visit to the school to talk to students about their college aspirations. Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Michelle Obama talks with students about their college aspirations during a roundtable discussion Thursady at Milwaukee Collegiate Academy. Obama, in town to promote her best-selling memoir, "Becoming," urged students not to let others define them by their limited expectations for them. Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Former first lady Michelle Obama, center, joins area high school students in a round table discussion about their college aspirations Thursday at Milwaukee Collegiate Academy, 4030 N. 29th St. Obama, in town to promote her best-selling memoir, "Becoming," made a surprise visit to the school to take part in the discussion. Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Comedian and late-night talk-show host Conan O'Brien talks with Milwaukee high school students about their college aspirations during a round-table discussion Thursday at Milwaukee Collegiate Academy. O'Brien is in town to act as moderator of "Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama." Hours before they were to take the stage, the two made a surprise visit at the school. Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Former first lady Michelle Obama and Conan O'Brien talk during her Milwaukee book tour, "Becoming: A Conversation with Michelle Obama" at the Miller High Life Theatre on Thursday. Comedian Conan O'Brien was the moderator for the event. Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal

Former first lady Michelle Obama greets the audience as she arrives on stage for "Becoming: A Conversation with Michelle Obama" at the Miller High Life Theatre on Thursday. Comedian Conan O'Brien, right, was the moderator for the event. Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal

Former first lady Michelle Obama enjoys a light moment with Conan O'Brien during her "Becoming: A Conversation with Michelle Obama" at the Miller High Life Theatre on Thursday night. Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal

Former first lady Michelle Obama shares memories from her and former President Barack Obama's time in the White House during "Becoming: A Conversation with Michelle Obama" at the Miller High Life Theatre. Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal

Michelle Obama's conversation with Conan O'Brien Thursday evening at the Miller High Life Theatre was Milwaukee's loftiest literary event of the year, and not simply because of their heights (5' 11" and 6' 4").

As she does in her best-selling memoir "Becoming," the former first lady delivered an inspirational message about persistence, self-acceptance and taking the high road, even in the face of rumor and falsehood.

A capacity crowd greeted her with enthusiasm and kept the love flowing throughout the evening with applause.

Obama grew up in a family with modest income on Chicago's south side, attended public school and went to Princeton, in spite of a high school guidance counselor openly doubting that she was Princeton material. She drew on her humble background through her conversation with O'Brien not as proof of her exceptionalism, but as encouragement to younger people, including the students she visited earlier Thursday at Milwaukee Collegiate Academy.

In writing her book, Obama said she forced herself to read some of the worst things people wrote about her, including the posting by a West Virginia public employee that called the former first lady an "ape in heels."

There are still people today, she told the audience, "who believe my husband is a terrorist who wasn't born in this country."

She declared herself a "no shade" person. The current president was mentioned only once: In response to a social-media question relayed by O'Brien, she said that her husband didn't read President Donald Trump's tweets.

But maybe there was a tiny bit of shade in her statement that a president has to read and has to know history, which drew big applause.

Obama and late-night TV star O'Brien, the first male moderator on the "Becoming" book tour, bonded over family stories.

Former first lady Michelle Obama greets the audience as she arrives on stage for "Becoming: A Conversation with Michelle Obama" at the Miller High Life Theatre.(Photo: Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal)

When she had a bad day at the White House, the first person Obama turned to was her mother, Marian Robinson (who was at Thursday's event, her daughter said). When Sasha and Malia were younger, Marian would come over at 4:30 a.m. so Michelle could work out while the girls were still asleep. (Maybe that's the secret of the former FLOTUS' fabulously toned arms.)

She described her marriage to Barack as an attraction of opposites: She's a box-checker, he's a swerver. She rolls her eyes when young people look at their marriage and say, "#relationship goals."

"No one tells young couples that marriage is hard," she said.

She and Barack went to counseling together, though she confesses at first she thought it was just to fix him. In counseling, she learned that she had to put herself higher on her list of priorities.

Obama praised the courage of her daughters, who had to grow up and try to live normal lives while surrounded by Secret Service agents. When she was asked by students she met Thursday if she would run for president, Obama responded, "Heck no. I'm not going to do that to those two people (Malia and Sasha)."

At some point, leaders need to pass the baton on to the next generation, Obama said. But she expects to be involved with public service for the rest of her life. "Public service is who we are … it fills us up," she said.